The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-26
REMARKABLE STORY.
Prosecuting John Rohn for a Murder
Never Committed.
From the Konsas City Times

yesterday for Toledo, followed by Johan
Holm, both on their way to clear up mys-
teriouS case of supposed murder. There was
not, perhaps, citizen in Tama county,
Ia, who, up till yesterday, did not believe
that Johan Holm had been foully muir
dered. The grand jury of that county
had twice convened TO consider the
case, and the suspicion Of guilt
was turned strongly against John Rohn, a
wcll-to-do farmer and bOarding-h house
keeper. Twice had mob, led by hot
headed citizens, attempted to take Rohn
out of his house and hang him to the near
est tree. Each time he concealed himself
and finally disappeared in as equally mys-
FERROUS manner as John Holm. A heavy re
ward was offered and the county went to a
heavy expense to track the supposed fugi-
| tive murderer.
All this time Johan Holm was serving as
a waiter in the restaurant at No. 81 Wal
nut street in this city. He had applied for
| work almost two months ago, and about
two weeks after his disappearance from
| Toledo. During that time the grand jury
had investigated the case, a warrant had
been issued, and Rohn's preliminary exam
nation on the charge of murder had been
| held ROhn was released, because no
evidence could be brought against him.
A number of citizens III the German
| settlement of the town were sus-
| pected, and the town was up in arms over
the fearful murder which they supposed had
been committed. A vigilance committee
was formed and one of Rohn's neighbOrS
| was strung up to a tree three times and left
| almost dead He was asked to reveal the
place where Hohn's body had been concealed,
and declaring each time that he knew moth
ing of it, was repeatedly hung by the neck
until he was black in the face.
After the preliminary examination was
| over and Rohn was released, public anger
rose to fever heat. A mob visited his house
twice with the intention of lynching him.
| The first time he made his way out of back
door and concealed himself in the woo3s. The
second time he crowded himself under bar
rel in the cellar, and during the search one
| of the mob leaned his arm upon it without
discovering him. Finally matters grew too
warm for Rohn. and he left the country.
| This fastened suspicion upon him stronger
than ever, and a heavy reward was offered
| for him by the people at a mass-meeting.
About two weeks before this occurred
Johan Holm, in speaking to crowd of loaf
ers, said
81 will tell you fellows one thing, and that
is this woman you were talking about is
not exactly the best in town"
One of them asked which woman he
meant, but he would not say. The crowd,
however, had been speaking of two or three
then went to Rohn and told him that Holm
| had made some remarks about his wife.
Holm was boarding at Rohn's place at the
time. He was probably told by Holm that
he intended to kill him should he hear any
more rumors regarding any alleged miscon-
| duct of his wife.
In the accounts told by the local news
papers at the time when it was supposed the
murder had taken place it was said that
Holm was paid to superintend Rohn's farm
| and the care of his horses and cattle. 1t was
| charged that Rohn became intensely jeal-
Gus of Holm and thought he was alternating
the affections of his wife The remarks
Rohn was charged with making were cited
| in favor of this theory 1t was shown that
Rohn entered Hohn's bedroom at 10 o'clock
at night. He then ordered him to get up and
feed some salt to the cattle and horses. In
mates of adjoining rooms heard Rohn do
this, and heard Holm tell him that it was
strange hour of the night to get him out to
salt cattle. They heard Rohn say: "INell,
you forgot it to-day, and will have to do it
| now
Rohn then arose and left the house and
was not seen again. All the facts in the case
were against Rohn, and it appeared that he
| had committed a very foul and deliberate
murder and had concealed his victim.
| Rohn protested that he was innocent in
vain, and on account of the anger of the PEG
pie left town. Instead of doing so to avoid
| the law, as everybody supposed. he carried
a roll of $500 in his pocket and began a
search after the man with whose murder he
was accused. Rohn was a German could
talk only broken English, and made a very
| poor detective. He travelled all over Iowa,
ard in the face of the heavy reward offered
for him he managed to keep from being
! arrested.
About three or four days ago he returned
| iaf1 10 4hn ;,,t .
! dead of night and visited his wife's room.
| She showed him a letter addressed to him
which she received the night before This
"MR Rom: Please send my clothes.
trunk and everything to 81 Walnut street.
Kansas City, where l am now staying
"JOHAN Holm"
Mrs Rohn told her husband that the let
ter had been shown to the prosecuting at
torney of the county. Rohn, however, did
not wait till morning. He hurried out of
the house and took freight train that was
just moving out of the town.
Yesterday morning about 10 o'clock Rohn
entered police headquarters. He told Chief
of Police Squeers about the trouble he had
undergone, and said he had spent great
deal of money attempting to trace Holm
up and prove his innocence. He said that
his search had been vain and his visit to
Kansas City fruitless, for just before he ar
rived the restaurant at 81 Walnut street
had been closed on an attachment. He said
the Prosecuting Attorney had looked on the
letter from Holm as a hoax, and he feared
that he should always be supposed guilty of
Hohns murder.
Rohn said, however, that he intended TO
search the town over for the missing man.
He then started out to do SO, and Detective
Greedy accompanied him ON the search.
The detective learned that the Prosecuting
Attorney had been in town on the same err
rand, and that he had left the night proceed
ing with Holm for Tama county. De
tective Greedy says that probably
there never was more delighted man
than Rohu when he learned that Holm
had been found. He admitted
that he had used threats toward Holm, and
that this, perhaps, had frightened him into
supposing that probably he intended to kill
him This, he thought, was perhaps the
reason why Holm left SO suddenly
Rohn is n German with long beard and
only one arm. He talks broken English, and
his swarthy face was bright with smiles last
evening MS he boarded the return train for
|